Pencil



I. C. HAMILTON.

PENCIL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, I9I9.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

,alga 4. jzlg. I.

JAMES C. HAMILTON, 0F ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS.

i PENCIL.

Specification o f Letters latent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application led llenrnary4 26, 1919. Serial No. 279,324.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. HAMILTON, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Arlington Heights, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Pencil, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates topencils of the type in which the lead and the holder therefor are relatively movable whereby to eX- pose the point for writing, and particularly to a pencil of this type provided with a Sharpener or pointer for the lead. y

One factor 'which' has seriously complicated the successfuly development of a sharpener-equipped pencil of this class is the characteristic brittleness of the lead itself, and the difficulty of so supporting the lead within the holder so as to prevent breakage ofthe lead in the operation of sharpening the point while yet readily permitting the desired movement of the point into and out of writing position.

v To the end therefore of providing a pencil of this type which'will afford adequate protection against breakage of the leadin'the l sharpening operation without interfering with the ready `adjustment of the lead, and which will be at once of neat and attractive appearance and lof simple and inexpensive construction', Ihave devsed'm'y present invention. According to vmy invention, the

lead or yother. marking' substance isl freely movable througha guide fixed inthe ,holder near thekwriting endthereof, 'and the guide is so formed as to expose onlyv a relatively small portion of the l'lead at atime to the actionof the pointer, backing' and supporting the major portion 'of'the lead such manner 'as to preventv the lead breaking vunder'the action of the Sharpener. The lead may be rotated in the'guide relative to the z sharpener'whereby toproducea symmetrical point, `and" the Sharpener itself' isl so ari' Aranged andformed `as-not to interfere with the ordinary -useof` thex-'pencilfin writing while y'ye/t constantly available "for action upon the lead and adapted "to be' instantly,

'I and readily brought into effectiveA working relation to the lead :by simple pressurerof the thumb or finger.v The arrangement such, moreover, that-'the sharpener maybe i adj usted' relativev to the k lead so as to .always 1 ypresent anew'abrasive surface theretogthus insuring even distribution of the wear upon the Sharpener and proper pointing of the lead. rIhese and various other features of advantage which will appear more particularly hereinafter are secured in the device of the present invention, the construction and manner of use of which, together with a preferred embodiment illustrative of the principles involved, iswdescribed in the following speciication, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Aand particularly pointed out in the appended claims. rl `hroughout the specification and drawings like reference characters are correspondingly applied, and in the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a pencil in accordance with my invention, and showing the point exposed for use.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof, on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, particularly illustrating the relation of the parts in the operation of pointing the lead.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the upper end of the barrel or-casing.

Fig. 4a is a section on the line '4a- 43, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail view ofthe point guid- .i

ingand supportingmember, removed, :and 1 F ign' is a detail section similar to Fig. 3 and showing a modified form of Sharpener.

. I have indicated at l a barrel or casing,

pressed to grip the lead by means of a split collar 7 slidable thereon over ran external, protruberance 8 arranged on thelead holder. lWhen the collar is engaged with Jsaidfprotuberance, the` lead is ,frictionally yclamped which `as jhereV shown; is providedI with. a

longitudinally extending yloay'mety slot 5l in which works a studonthecap. ,This c on- `within the holder `2,.and the collar itself4 is f locked against relative ..1novement. disengaging the collar,` as: represented fin Fig. $2, the `lead, mayfbejadjusted the yhol-der from time to time asl it` wears down.

Onefendofthe lead holder is made" fast as indicated :at 2', ytoaj;'cap -Llfrptatably mounted upon-the upper end ofthe barrel,"

guide, considering the parts in the relation shown in Fig. 2, affords backing and support to the major portion of the lead disposed within theguide, and since only a relatively `small portion of the lead is eX- posed at a time to the Sharpener through the cut-out 9a, the liability of the lead breaking .during sharpening is reduced to the minimum.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sharpener 10 is adapted to be brought into effective relation to the lead by the depression of a spring tongue formed from the material of the barrel at the lower end thereof by slotting the barrel, as best shown in Fig. 1. Normally, t-he presser 11 lies in the plane of the barrel and the Sharpener is out of contact with the lead, but when it is desired to bring the sharpener into action, the tongue 11 is depressed to carry the abrasive against the lead, which'is pointed by being moved therepastby means of the cap 4.

In Figs. 2 and 3, the Sharpener is shown as an abrasive surface, such as emery or sand-paper, rolled into cylindrical form and loosely confined about` the guide so as to be capable of rotatingslightly as the lead is being sharpened whereby to evenly distribute tlie wear throughout the entire abrading surface and to always present a sharp abrading surface to the lead. In Fig. 6, thel Sharpener is shown asa simple strip of material having an abradingl surface 12 and secured directly to the inner face of the tongue 11.

' Normally, the point is retracted within the barrel so as to be protected thereby. In

this position the stud 6 ofthe cap locks in the notch l5 near the rear end of the bayonet slot 5. When it is desired to write, the lead is advanced to the position shown in Fig. 1 by slidin the cap, and with it the lead holder 2, orwardly along the barrel 1 until the stud 6 locks in the notch 5n at the forward end of the bayonet slot. When it is necessary to sharpen the'point, the stud iS withdrawn wholly from the bayonet slot through the open end 5b thereof, as shown in Fig. 2, so thatl when the cap is rotated, and with it 4the lead holder 2, the lead will .move past the Sharpener. With vthe partsin this position, the spring tongue 11 is depressed to .carry the Sharpener into contact with the lead exposed thereto through the cutaway portion 9a of the guide. The lead holder may be refilled from the position of Fig. 2 by bodily withdrawing it from the barrel, disengaging the collar 7 from the protuberance 8- to unclamp the old lead, inserting a new lead, returning the collar to its tube-clamping position, and replacing the holder within the barrel. The abrasive 10 may also be renewed when necessary, as by removing the lead holder from the barrel, inserting a suitably hooked instrument into the barrel to engage and witlr draw the bushing 9, removing the old abrasive, substituting a new, and replacing the parts, or the tongue l1 may be drawn outwardly to uncover the abrasive through the slot formed in the barrel in producing the tongue, the old abrasive removed through Said slot, and a new substituted.

Various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts comprising my device may obviously be made within the limits of the appended claims.

claim:

l. A pencil comprising a barrel having a relatively Stationary lead guide adapted to support a lead against breakage in sharpening and cut away at one side to expose a .portion of the lead thereinto a Sharpener, a

. and cut-away at one side to expose a portion of the lead/therein to a Sharpener, 'a normally ineffective Sharpener mounted between the guide and the barrel lfor operation upon the lead exposed thereto through said cut-away portion of the guide at a point above the lowerend of the guide, a spring tongue formed on the barrel and adapted upon operation to carry the sharpener into Contact with the lead, and a cap adjustable upon the barrel and adapted to move the lead past said Sharpener. 3. A pencilv comprising a barrel', a lead therein adapted to be sharpened by rotation, and an abrasive element arranged within said barrel for sharpening action upon the lead and automatically rotated by the lead during the rotation thereof in sharpening o (present different abrasive surfacesto the ea A,

4.-. A pencil comprising a barrel having a lead guide, a spring tongue fixed against longitudinal movement upon the barrel and normally disposed out ofthe plane of the lead and adapted to be moved toward the be pointed is exposed, a Sharpener overlying said cut-out and adapted to be pressed into sharpening contact With the lead exposed through said cut-out, the guide at the opposite side of its longitudinal axis presenting a backing and supporting surface to the lead opposite said Sharpener whereby 'to meet the breaking strain imposed on the lead by the pressure of' the Sharpener thereagainst, and means for moving the lead and sharpener relatively.

6. A pencil comprising a barrel, a lead guide mounted therein and having a cutout at one side of its longitudinal axis through which the underlying portion of a lead to be pointed is exposed, a Sharpener mounted opposite said cut-out and adapted to be pressed into sharpening contact With the lead exposed through said cut-out, the side of' the guide opposite said cut-out backing and supporting the lead against the breaking strain imposed by the pressure of the Sharpener against the lead, and means for moving the lead relative to the sharpener.

7. A pencil comprising a barrel, a lead guide fixed therein and having a Wall adapted to back and support a lead against breakage and having a cut-out opposite said Wall, through which the underlying portion of the lead to be pointed is exposed, and a sharpener mounted opposite said Wall and adapted to be moved into sharpening contact with the lead exposed through said cut out.

8. A pencil comprising a barrel, a supporting and lbacking sleeve for a lead mounted therein, said sleeve having a longitudinally extending cut-out between its ends through which the underlying portion of the lead is exposed for Sharpening, and a Sharpener active upon ISaid lead exposed through said cut-out to point the Same.

9.` A pencil comprising a barrel, a supporting and backing sleeve for the lead motmted therein, said sleeve having a cutout between its ends through Which the underlying Iportion of the lead is exposed for sharpening, an abrasive element exposed through said cut-out for action upon the lead and loosely mounted to rotate as the lead is sharpened whereby to present different abrasive surfaces to the lead, means for holding the abrasive element in contact Withl the lead, and means for moving'the lead past Said abrasive element.

10. A pencil comprising a barrel having a lead guide, said barrel slitted adjacent thelead guide to provide a spring tongue fixed against longitudinal movement relative to the barrel and normally disposed out of the plane of the lead and adapted to be moved toward the lead, and a normally ineffective sh arpener mounted adjacent said tongue and adapted to be carried by said tongue into sharpening contact With the lead.

ll. A pencil comprising a barrel, a lead guide fixed therein, a lead movable in said guide, and a normally ineffective Sharpener disposed for action upon the lead, said barrel slitted adjacent the guide to provide av spring tongue fixed aga-inst longitudinal movement relative to the barrel and normally disposed out of the line of movement of the lead and movable toward the lead to carry the Sharpener into sharpening contact therewith.

12. A pencil comprising a barrel, a lead guide. Within said barrel, a lead rotatably and longitudinally movable in said guide, and a Sharpener consisting of a lapped sheet of abrasive material rolled about the guide as a core and adapted to be moved into sharpening contact with the lea-d.

Signed at Boston, in the county of Suiolk, and State of' Massachusetts, this QA day of February, 1919.

JAMES C. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE B. RAWLINGS, 'WARD W. KEENE. 

